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TRP: Mishka and Rieka (Dead Husband)
Some town shortly after Hansel and Mishka's wedding. Also the anniversary of Rieka's fiance's death. It was this time of year again. The time of year Rieka tried her hardest to pass through in a haze. Ideally not even conscious on this day. But it didn't work out that way this year. March twenty-third. The day she'd plunged a knife into Liam's neck. Rieka sat at the edge of the dock, taking chugs from her bottle. Couldn't swim all that great drunk. Wouldn't matter though. She didn't have nobody. Maybe she just oughta jump. See Liam again, and hear how angry he was over her slitting his throat. COYOTE It was a good night for Mishka. They’d just robbed a navy vessel full of black gunpowder and sold it off— made loads of gold, and kept enough for themselves to feed the Red Blade’s canons for months— and Mishka was still coming down off the high of being married. He didn’t think he’d ever come down from it. Felt too good, in a frightening way, like being on top of something very high and looking down. While he was at the docks, though, heading home to the ship alone, he spotted a familiar face. It was that woman. “Hey, you!” he called. He slid down next to her unprompted. ABBY Rieka glanced over to see who it was. Ah. That pirate guy again. "Hey," she said shortly, and returned to staring out at the ships docked in port. "See you ain't died yet." COYOTE Mishka frowned, wavering. “What’s wrong?” ABBY Rieka waved her hand holding the bottle. "Bad day," she said grimly. "Seven years ago." COYOTE “Oh. What happened? Somebody toss you in a rowboat again?” ABBY Rieka stared fixedly out at the horizon. "I wish." COYOTE Mishka blinked at her blearily, feeling oddly sad and concerned. "Y'wanna tell me about it?" ABBY Rieka didn't look at him. "Nah, not really." She took another drink from the bottle, and then offered it to him. COYOTE Mishka waved it away. He was already way too drunk. He could just read her mind. That way he'd sate his curiosity and spare her the pain of having to talk about it. Normally, in order to read someone's mind, you had to murmur an incantation and make arcane gestures, but Mishka had gotten extremely good at doing it silently with no movement. It was a really useful trick for situations like this where he didn't want to tip people off. He reached inside his pocket and rubbed his thumb against a copper piece, concentrating. Then, like flicking on a switch, he could read Rieka's mind. ABBY Rieka shrugged and took another drink. "Should have been me." A man's face, shocked and pale, clutching a knife sticking out the side of his neck. Rieka's hand on the hilt. "Should have been me. Liam should have killed me instead." The same man, laughing, smiling, kissing her, holding her. "Should just jump and get it over with. Don't deserve to live. Liam did." Flashes of memories. Hiding in fear as they were hunted, training together, walking through sunny hillsides listening to Liam talk about the house he was gonna build, Liam grabbing her arms and pleading with her to leave with him. A knife, sinking into his throat. "It should have been me." COYOTE Mishka felt all the color drain out of his face. Reading people's minds was normally mildly amusing. They usually thought about such silly and stupid things. Rieka's thoughts, though, were drenched with anger and grief and self-hatred. He stared at Rieka in numb horror. He thought about the dragon, and killing Aleksei, and then killing Asenka, and how in a few years he'd probably have to kill Hansel, and-- Mishka had spent the last few years hating himself the exact same way. It should've been me. It should've been me. Asenka had been so kind, so sharp, so beautiful. Hansel deserved to live a full life. Mishka had already lived a hundred years and that should've been enough. Mishka leaned over the dock, retching. ABBY Rieka cut a glance over at him, a small grin tugging at her lips. "Too much to drink, eh?" she said. Served him right. Ugh, she hoped she didn't end up throwing up either. COYOTE Mishka didn't answer. Just kept retching until he vomited. He took a swig from his waterskin and spat it out into the water. "Sorry," he said unsteadily. "You're really upset. Oh god. I didn't know it would do that." ABBY Rieka cocked her head, kinda puzzled now. "What do what?" COYOTE Mishka waved dismissively. He staggered upright, almost fell into the harbor, then righted himself on a nearby post. "Nothin'. 'S nothin'. I, um. Gotta... husband. Go." He staggered off, rubbing his new wedding ring. Hansel would give him a hug and hold back his hair while he vomited. He missed Hansel. He wanted Hansel around all the time. ABBY Rieka waved him off. Husband, huh. Good for him. Rieka wished she had one of those. Didn't though. Her bottle was getting low. Rieka gripped the side of the dock and leaned over, contemplating. Then she got up and walked away. Or her body did. Apparently jumping off docks wasn't on the table for her. Guess she'd go find some alley to sleep it off in instead. END Category:Text Roleplay